Adolescents

Adolescent Psychology

An adolescent psychologist needs not only the right personality, but also the training and skills to communicate well with this group to be able to engage adolescent clients in a treatment program. Around 15% of adolescents develop significant symptoms of anxiety and depression, so it is important that this group are able to see a psychologist to whom they can relate.

Adolescent Psychology

Adolescents go through a period of physical, mental, emotional and behavior change that can often be difficult for them and those around them. The adolescent psychologist you select will involve parents when possible or necessary to facilitate positive relationships or to include parents in the therapeutic process. Often, communication with school counselors and teachers is a necessary part of treatment, although this will be discussed with parents before proceeding.Adolescent

Psychology

Treatment

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based approaches are used to treat a range of age and stage and/or mental health problems in adolescents/teenagers. An adolescent psychologist might incorporate elements from more than one approach, depending on the client’s presentation. Individual treatment programs are designed based on the following principles:

Providing the teenager with an understanding of their particular difficulties through psycho-education

Providing the teenager with therapy and coping strategies in the form of a treatment program

Assisting the teenager to address unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that are contributing to his or her particular difficulties

Parental involvement at the teenager’s discretion

Difficulties that are most commonly treated in adolescents or teenagers include:

Moods

Anxiety, worries and fears, including PTSD

Depression

Self-harm

Eating disorders

Oppositional behaviour

Social anxiety or social withdrawal

Bullying

Blended family issues

Perfectionism and high anxiety

School refusal

Obsessive behaviour

Substance abuse

Internet addiction, and other addictions

Low self esteem, difficulties with body image

Trauma

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Adolescent Psychologists

We see adolescents as private clients, through Medicare and through the NDIS. We see self managed NDIS clients only. See the NDIS page for more information about which of our practitioners can offer NDIS services, and what kinds of services they can provide.

The following psychologists provide adolescent psychology, and many of them have previously worked in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).